


Anne with an E - Flashback

by Candyholic85



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-02 00:43:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10933431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candyholic85/pseuds/Candyholic85
Summary: After working on the docks for a while, and meeting people Gilbert wouldn't normally meet, he notices a commonality among them. Especially those who have seen war, tragedy, trauma. They have 'flashbacks'. Unfortunately this isn't the first time he's seen this behavior. A certain red-head seems to do this too. (Post season 1 Anne with an E on Netflix.)





	1. flashback

Flashback

Gilbert Blythe, after working for several weeks in the harbor, began to notice that the older men, sailors especially, would sit or stand perfectly still, their eyes full of sorrow and remorse, as if they are seeing a ghost, but not for the first time, as if the ghost perhaps had been an old friend.  
“What do you see when you do that?” He bravely asked one afternoon.  
“Memories, from the war, from shipwreck, from the depths of hell.” An old man answered as he blinked and brought himself back to the present. “Sometimes, a smell, a noise can bring me back to those God forsaken days.”  
Gilbert listened earnestly and patiently as the older man recounted a particularly horrific experience and how the old man had dealt and coped with it all these years. Gilbert went back to the room he had been renting in town and laid in bed, his back aching and head whirling. His thoughts flitted from one thing to another before they landed on something familiar. An exquisite red head with the biggest imagination that could have ever been gifted to anyone from the Creator himself. His brow furrowed as he went through his memories of her, when suddenly it dawned on him. Anne must have gone though her own hell before coming to Green Gables, she did the same ‘flashbacks’ that the older men did. She had some of the same coping mechanisms that these men did. He was never one to indulge in rumors, especially when it came to Anne, but the realization that a girl of her age, had seen sorrow, and hatred and vicious violence, she felt it, lived it, for who knows how long. She was a survivor. 

The next time Gilbert got the chance to see her he paid extra attention to her, to her eyes especially. A man kicked and yelled at his horse to get it to move right behind her and he saw it, the fear and terror flash in her eyes as she stiffened like a board, not even breathing.  
“Hey,” Gilbert intimated, reaching out to pat her arm, only to have her flinch at his touch.  
“I need to go,” Anne announced gravely before turning on her heel and walking hurriedly away.  
Gilbert was left to wonder what must have transpired in her mind. 

A few more days passed before he saw her again. Her smile seemed to light up the town and lifted the heavy weight from Gilbert’s soul that had seemed to settle in since his father’s death, if only for a moment.  
“How are you Gilbert?” Anne asked as she took him in.  
“Fine, and yourself?” He inquired, genuine curiosity not escaping his tone.  
“Fine, I’m fine, everything’s fine,” she rapidly replied.  
“How are you really?” Gilbert reiterated.  
She hesitated and bit her lips.  
“Walk with me,” Gilbert invited and was supremely pleased she decided to walk with him down the street. “I work with a lot of older sailors,” He began and chanced a look over to see if she was listening.  
“They have some amazing stories if you stop long enough to listen.” He piqued.  
“Oh?” Anne inquired, all of her attention firmly focused on him.  
“Yeah, some of the stories are pretty rough, these guys have been through so much, most of it bad rather than good.”  
“Hypertragical?” Anne breathed in awe.  
“Yeah,” Gilbert nodded, Anne, nodding in sync with him.  
“They all do this one thing, they call it a flashback, where a noise or a smell or something triggers really bad memories and it’s like they relive it for a minute or two but I’m sure it feels longer than that to them.”  
“That’s because it is, it feels like eternity,” Anne admitted as she bit her lower lip.  
“You know, I don’t mean to pry, but since my life has seen some tragedy and yours too, if you ever wanted to talk about any of it, if you could ever trust me to confide in me. I promise to listen without judgment.” Gilbert bravely offered.  
Anne stopped in her tracks, her eyes welling up with tears as she suddenly embraced him tightly, quietly sobbing into his shoulder as his arms found their way around her, holding onto her as tight as she was holding onto him.  
“I would really love that.” Anne whispered.  
“Me too.” Gilbert whispered back.


	2. Fortress of Whimsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert happens to come across a little structure in the woods.

Fortress of Whimsy 

Gilbert, upon returning to school, was walking through the forest and stumbled upon what looked like a dilapidated shack. But the path to it looked recently traveled. Out of pure curiosity he decided to have a closer look.   
He pulled gently on the edge of one of the ‘curtains’, fully expecting to see some kind of den, for a fox no doubt. But to his surprise, the floor was cleared away, there were clearly ‘chairs’ set in a circle, three of them. How...quaint. 

He imagined that perhaps a few little kids would make this a play house. However, upon walking through the woods again later that week, he heard voices coming from the little shelter and crept closer to try and make out who was using it. To his complete surprise he hears “Welcome to another deliciously scrumptious meeting of the Avonlea Story Club, I motion we put the meeting into session.” Clearly Anne Shirley Cuthburt’s voice.   
“I second the motion,” Diana Barry’s voice agreed firmly.   
“And I third the motion?” Ruby’s small and unsure voice added.   
“The meeting is now in session.” Anne continued.   
As much as Gilbert wanted to crouch down and listen, he thought the better of ‘intruding’ even if it was just eavesdropping. It didn’t seem very gentlemanly, even though he was sorely tempted and infinitely curious. It would have to just be one more thing he would ask her about one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I got really, really sick, like I was in the hospital and in quarantine for a while kind of sick. I had only gotten to write this little, short thing and I know you guys deserve so much more and I have a little something more but it shouldn't chronologically happen for a while but I'm going to go ahead and post that too and with this I think it'll be more of a collection of little one-shot/ drabble kind of thing.


	3. Possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok so in the not so, somewhat distant future this would take place.

Possibilities 

Anger wasn’t really an encompassing enough term for what Gilbert was currently feeling. Rage perhaps. It twisted his heart and punched his stomach, it made him sick that people could act like such monstrosities that they were beneath the term ‘human’.   
“Gil?” Anne questioned, in a tone reminiscent of a scared little mouse.   
“I’m so sorry,” Gilbert breathed as he looked into her wide blue eyes that had the most jewel like hints of green that were dazzling. “I’m so, so sorry you had to endure that. No one should.” Gilbert tried to empathize. He forced his anger to fuel his sympathy and empathy for the person right in front of him.   
The sunshine was streaming in from the various holes in the ‘roof’ of her little sanctuary, making her red hair glint and glisten and putting a brightness to her eyes that made her ethereal. It didn’t help that she wore a crown of wild flowers, making her look more like a forest nymph. It wasn’t hard to imagine such a thing, even if you had none.   
“I’m happy you’re here, and that you’re safe and protected.” Gilbert mused.   
“Me too.” Anne nodded.   
“You should write more.” Gilbert suggested as he flipped through the crudely made little story book, effectively changing the subject to a much more palatable one. “I really enjoyed this one, anyone would.” Gilbert modestly praised.   
“You think so?” Anne inquired.   
“Absolutely, you put those other story books to shame. You would be denying the world of their next great author. Greater than Jane Eyre I would say.” Gilbert grinned.   
“Oh you can not be serious, she is the greatest literary mind of literary minds of any century. I could never...”   
“Yes you could.” Gilbert interrupted. “You can do anything you want.”   
“Well, society is changing, I do have more possibilities than perhaps Marilla did. But it still doesn’t compare to the possibilities and opportunities you are going to have. You are a man after all.” Anne murmured as she picked at the flower in her hands, her gaze down cast.   
Gilbert courageously reached out and as gently as he could, put his finger under her chin to pull her face up, so that her gaze was on him as his was on hers. “Don’t be so sure.” Gilbert gently teased, his thumb tracing her chin ever so lightly before he forced his hand down.   
Anne’s face followed his hand for just a heart beat. Anne’s emotions were on the verge of overwhelming her, who knew that a touch, ever so gentle and light could have such an impact. She was sure that this was how great romances started. Oh what was she thinking? Hadn’t she sworn off the dreaded subject? Hadn’t romance caused many a woman to cast off their careers to become housewives for its sake? But in this small yet infinite moment. It didn’t seem like such a horrible thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I wrote this actually just after I wrote the first chapter/drabble and I haven't quite figured out how they got from flash back to this but I just couldn't help myself, maybe I'll attempt at the middle part later.

**Author's Note:**

> SO, after devouring the whole first season of Anne with an E on Netflix, GOOD GOD I NEED FIC. unfortunately I couldn't find any so I wrote some. Please, please, someone join me. I can't be the only fan of Anne of Green Gables that's being drowned in new feels and new headcannons and such.


End file.
